The Mysteries of October 7. Seymour Hersh publication

The Mysteries of October 7. Hostage negotiations and armed group involvement

On October 24, 2023, journalist Seymour Hersh published an article titled "The Mysteries of October 7." In the article, Hersh cited an unnamed American official describing negotiations related to hostage releases following the October 7 Hamas-led attack on Israel.

According to the official quoted in the article, two American hostages, a mother and her teenage daughter, were released first, followed by two additional hostages within three days. All four were transferred to the International Committee of the Red Cross. The official stated that additional releases were expected and described discussions involving humanitarian aid shipments entering Gaza from Egypt. The article reported claims that aid distribution was the subject of disputes involving Egyptian officials and Hamas, and that an arrangement had been discussed in which further hostages would be released in exchange for aid distribution terms.

The article also cited the same American official stating that the Qassam Brigades, the military wing of Hamas, were not the only armed group involved in the October 7 attack. The official alleged that the al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigade also participated. Both Hamas and the al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigade are designated as terrorist organizations by the United States and the European Union.

The article also cited an unnamed American official stating that there was no Israeli Army presence in certain kibbutzim and villages under attack for at least eight hours on October 7. The publication presented this as a significant unresolved issue regarding the timeline of the Israeli military response. No official confirmation of a formal stand-down order was provided in the report.